An Oriental Treasure of
Courage and Service

I love treasure hunting. For me, the treasure is not a chest of coins and jewelry or a great find at Chico’s, but in uncovering the precious life story of a phenomenal woman. Golden nuggets of wisdom, sparkling jewels of determination, pearls of persistence---all mounted in courage and desire for a higher quality of life,--now that’s a treasure!

My most recent find came from the Orient, as exotic rubies and jade often do. The tiny, elegant Vietnamese woman who owns the spa near my home in Winston-Salem enriched my life with her story.

She is beautiful, young and adventurous. A trained photographer, Mai (pronounced like the Mai Tai cocktail) accepted a job at the age of 17 in her hometown of Dalat, South Vietnam, as a photographer on the front lines of the war. Mai traveled with by helicopter with high-ranking officials as she risked her life taking pictures for the United Press International.

Within a year, Mai was offered a job with the US Military Intelligence. Resourceful and smart, she continued to study English, and soon became a valued interpreter/translator. It was in this capacity that she met the man who would change her life.

In 1972, Tim May arrived at the Intelligence office in Dalat for his last five months of duty. A 6-foot, 2-inch Army sergeant from Arkansas, he was immediately smitten with the tiny interpreter assigned to work with him. Precise, eager to please, and dedicated, the young Vietnamese woman became his dependable partner. She literally had his life in her hands. Her courage, intelligence and perseverance were qualities he deeply admired.

Tim impressed Mai as well. Easy-going and generous, he organized resources to help struggling Vietnamese. He found the culture warm and hospitable and developed a fondness for Vietnamese food. When Tim’s five months ended, Mai’s mother insisted that Mai bring him home for a farewell dinner. Tim returned to the states with Mai in his heart and began to court his new sweetheart with long letters, tapes, and phone calls.

When the Military Intelligence office in Dalat closed down, Mai commuted over a long treacherous mountain road to work with the American Consulate General in Nhatrang. When the cassette tape arrived bearing a proposal, Mai couldn’t wait to share the news with her mother. The young sergeant had described his life in thorough detail: his parents, ambitions, hobbies and habits.

Upon her return to Nhatrang, Mai unwrapped a special package: a diamond ring, accompanied by a round trip ticket to the states. Still another letter arrived with travel money.

“I’m sending a round trip ticket,” her sweetheart had written, “in case you don’t like America and can’t go through with this. I’ve included travel money as you will most likely have to pay bribes to get your paperwork through in Vietnam.” As usual, he had thought of everything.

Michele May

Mai packed only a couple suitcases, thinking she would return to collect the rest of her possessions and family treasures. But she would never see them, or her mother, again. As the war ended, the tiny country experienced chaos and suffering that would last for decades. Tim sensed the heartbreak his wife must have felt.

“We’ll bring them here,” he promised. “Your whole family. We’ll fill out the papers and offer to be their sponsors.”

Mai took the name Michele for her life in America. Tim changed careers, a requirement since he had married a foreign national. Michele acquired citizenship in 1978, and tackled the challenges of American life. With Tim’s new career in VA hospital administration, the couple was forced to relocate across the country every six years, discouraging Michele from getting a college degree. Nonetheless, she thrived on challenge and loved her role as the wife of a government official. Michele glittered in her beautiful ball gowns at formal government functions.

Tim kept his promise, applying for sponsorship of Michele’s parents and four brothers. With each transfer, each job change, and each New Year, the paperwork had to be completed again. One brother managed to get out, but the others had married. As families grew, the paperwork grew more and more tenuous. Hope diminished.

Finally, after 13 years, Michele and Tim received a telegram. Her entire family had been granted permission to come to America under their sponsorship. Tim and Michele rented a second apartment to provide enough bedroom space for her three brothers, their wives, and seven children.

Today, Tim is retired, and Michele’s entire family has relocated to the Winston-Salem area where each brother has a successful business. The parents work hard and the children excel in school. Michele entertains holidays and Tim enjoys good Vietnamese food.

Michele has become an esthetician, with a wall full of certificates. As she mastered photography, so she has mastered beauty procedures. As she worked hard to serve the military, so she works to serve her customers. With the enthusiasm she used to tackle new jobs in cities across the country, she delights in meeting new people. Women feel pampered and beautiful under her hands. Including me.

"Michelle's Spa" located in "My Nails" at Reynolda Manor in Winston-Salem. "My Nails" is owned by the brother and sister-in-law Michelle sponsored to come to the states.